Gazing at the young girl’s wary eyes, Pei Du suddenly felt a wave of restlessness.
On the very night Xie Zhi was sent to Guanxuelou by Old Madam, he had received the news from Changming.
Needless to say, it was clearly Old Madam’s deliberate disclosure.
He remained noncommittal, unable to fathom why his grandmother was so enthusiastic about such matters.
Yet today, as he passed by Guanxuelou, he found himself inexplicably pausing and following Pei Hong upstairs.
He was merely here to check if any ancient books had been damaged—it had nothing to do with her.
That was what he told himself.
At the same time, a young servant suddenly rushed in from outside. After first paying his respects to Pei Du, he hurried toward Pei Hong, who was searching for books by the distant shelves, and whispered in his ear, “It’s terrible, Wulang! That Yao Liniang from Pixiangyuan is threatening to kill herself!”
“What?!” Pei Hong froze for a moment, hastily put down the book, and strode back.
As he passed Pei Du, he cupped his hands in salute. “Third Brother, I suddenly remember there’s an urgent matter I must attend to. I’ll take my leave now.”
After speaking, Pei Hong seemed to recall something and turned to Xie Zhi. “Young lady, could you please find that volume and deliver it to Ninghuiyuan for my mother?”
With that, the hem of his robe swiftly disappeared from sight.
Xie Zhi had no idea why Pei Du had come here or why he was still lingering, but with this opportunity to distance herself from him, she naturally felt relieved.
If she had harbored any thoughts of clinging to him during her earlier misfortunes, after this incident, those thoughts were completely gone.
…
Finally helping the young book attendant locate the volume of The Classic of Navigation that Pei Hong had requested, the boy accidentally tore off the outer page while retrieving it.
Only ten years old, he was instantly terrified out of his wits. “This ancient book is precious! If Registrar Tong finds out, he’ll surely beat me to death!”
Xie Zhi examined the torn page and instinctively glanced back, only to find that Pei Du had already left at some point.
She comforted the young book attendant, saying, “This book is already quite old, and the pages are very fragile. It’s not entirely your fault.”
Xie Zhi sighed, gathered the book and the torn page together, and after giving the boy a few more instructions, she went to the Lushitai on the first floor to make a record before finally leaving Guanxuelou.
Ninghuiyuan was located on the west side of Peifu, separated from Guanxuelou by Xingbohu.
It was dinnertime, and as the summer heat faded, many young ladies and servants were strolling along the riverbank.
This was also the liveliest time of the summer.
Willows swayed gracefully along the river, with falling petals drifting by from time to time. Among the large clusters of blooming lotus flowers on the water, several light boats drifted leisurely—young ladies of the estate were enjoying the flowers and having fun.
Carrying the book in her hand, Xie Zhi walked along the river toward Ninghuiyuan. Halfway there, she suddenly heard a woman’s voice, “Li Chun, stop right there!”
It was County Mistress Yuyang!
Xie Zhi froze, a sense of foreboding rising in her heart.
She turned around and, sure enough, saw County Mistress Yuyang standing behind her with a large entourage of maids and matrons.
“Greetings, County Mistress.”
“Where are you going?”
Yuyang looked her up and down, her gaze settling on the book in Xie Zhi’s hand.
Xie Zhi truthfully explained her duties at Guanxuelou and the task Pei Hong had assigned her, hoping Yuyang would not make things difficult for her.
But to her surprise, County Mistress Yuyang only stared at her for a moment before saying indifferently:
“Oh, then go ahead.”
Xie Zhi immediately bowed and took her leave, thinking to herself: The County Mistress must be in a good mood today.
But the next moment, she heard someone rushing up behind her, snatching the book from her hand.
“What are you doing?”
Xie Zhi shouted at the matron.
The stout, broad-shouldered matron glared at her, then handed the manuscript to County Mistress Yuyang.
County Mistress Yuyang took it and looked. “The Classic of Navigation—this is an extremely precious ancient text! You’ve even damaged the cover. It seems you’re not very competent at your duties.”
After saying this, she casually tossed it, and the scroll along with the cover inscribed with “The Classic of Navigation” fell together into Xingbohu!
“Oh dear! Third Aunt is the strictest and most old-fashioned. Since you’ve carelessly ruined such a valuable scroll, you’d better think carefully about how to explain yourself.”
With that, Yuyang left Xie Zhi’s side with a smile.
Xie Zhi watched as the scroll rippled twice before disappearing, her tone heavy.
“I have long heard that the County Mistress is both learned and gentle in temperament. I truly believe I have committed no heinous crimes. Why is the Junzhu always unwilling to let me go?”
Yuyang, who had already walked behind her, abruptly halted upon hearing this, turned back, and leaned close to her ear:
“What have you done? Aren’t you clear about it in your own heart?”
Hearing this, Xie Zhi was filled with confusion and shook her head. “I truly do not know.”
“Half a year ago, on that night, it was Qi Songqing who brought you to the mansion, wasn’t it?”
This sudden statement from Yuyang made Xie Zhi’s mind reel.
Half a year ago, when she followed Pei Du to the capital, it happened to be New Year’s Eve. Pei Du was busy reporting to the palace and had no time to return to the mansion. On the way, they happened to meet Qi Songqing, the nephew of the Old Madam’s maternal family, who was rushing from Huaizhou with his family to pay New Year’s respects to the Old Madam. Pei Du then asked Xie Zhi to go with them first.
However, Xie Zhi was unfamiliar with the place. After arriving at Peifu, she did not wander around but waited in the tea room for five or six hours until Pei Du returned late at night.
At that time, she had thought Pei Du bought her back for that kind of purpose. Though somewhat afraid, compared to the brothel, it was already much better.
She had resigned herself to fate, but unexpectedly, after returning, he directly sent her to Chunhuiyuan.
Thus, her connection with Qi Songqing was only that brief journey together.
Moreover, she had no intention of seeing him again—that man disgusted her.
Yet somehow, in Yuyang’s words, it had become so ambiguous.
Could it be that Yuyang liked that Qi Songqing?
Thinking of this, Xie Zhi hurriedly explained her relationship with Qi Songqing, but Yuyang not only refused to believe her but also said through gritted teeth, “Jintang told me all of this truthfully. That day on the street, she happened to see you seducing him!”
“And also, the name Li Chun—he gave it to you, didn’t he?!”
Xie Zhi was utterly bewildered. Who was Jintang? How could she have seduced Qi Songqing? That day, they had clearly taken a carriage to Peifu—how could passersby easily see them?
And besides, the name Li Chun was casually given to her by Pei Du—what did it have to do with Qi Songqing?
She was about to explain, but Yuyang gave her no further chance, leaving only these words: “We’ll see. In a few days, when Grandmother goes to Ciensi to worship Buddha, I will match you with the groom in my courtyard. You will serve me for all eternity—only then will I feel at ease.”
After Yuyang left, Xie Zhi’s heart sank to the depths.
This person was utterly unreasonable! Yet she was now merely a servant, powerless to do anything.
She needed to think of a plan.
But before that, she had to deal with the immediate trouble.
Xie Zhi glanced at the calm, unrippled surface of the river and drew a scroll from his bosom.
It was none other than that coverless copy of The Classic of Navigation.